Saturday, November 18, 2006

Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized Swimming
51" x 51"

This is a whole cloth quilt. You could call it shibori, but I called it tie-dye. I tie-dyed it and then over dyed it with another set of circles. Because I was experimenting, I decided to make two identical or nearly identical large pieces and used the second piece for the back. The fish are made from almost all commercial fabrics. They are 3 dimensional, stuffed, quilted, embellished and are fitted with copper wire on the inside to make them 'bendy fish'. They have copper wire pectoral fins, painted eyes, no mouths. Each set needed it's own original costumes, so I went to town decorating them. It was a fun project. Not all the fish can be seen in their entirities because some of them are diving below the surface so only their tales show. Others are just coming up to the surface, so you can only see their heads. The blue masks for the fish in the circle on the left were each custom fitted for each fish and made from a collapsed mondo play ball.

Some of the center fish have custom made tiaras...they are extremely proud to be the 'chosen ones'. You may ask about the single fish on the right side, but it is really up to the viewer what he is doing there... Last, the 300 fish were hand appliqued after they were made, and as you can probably imagine, that was not the fun part. The thread kept getting tangled on fish parts for EVERY stitch. This quilt has not been seen in public yet. Both Husqvarna Viking and Quilt National had their chance, but passed. I think it will be difficult to ship if it ever gets to travel, but I remain hopeful!


This quilt was quilted with YLI variegated cotton thread, YLI silk threads, and Superior King Tut variegated cotton thread. The beaded skirts were commercial, but individually fitted!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Oh What a Night! Houston IQA!!

Oh What a Night! Houston IQA!! 
I won first place in Large Abstract Art with Little Cities (97" x 96")! I knew I was up for a cash prize, but I was really not expecting first place. And one of the best moments was when another quilter approached me after the awards and asked me if I was the artist? Me?!! Yes, I am an artist! Hard to wrap my head around that, but at least, now I can say it! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to look at my quilt and talk to me!